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Hassan's First Words
Hassan and Amir were together from the start. Amir thought to himself "Hassan and I fed from the same breast. We took our first steps on the same lawn, in the same yard and under the same roof, we spoke our first words. Mine was Baba, Hassans was Amir". (Hosseini p. 11) Amir realizes how much he means to Hassan. This is important because Amir and Hassan have a brotherly relationship. -
The First Soviet Invasion
The first Afghan conflict with the Soviet Union. What started this conflict was when "The first Soviet troops parachuted into Kabul on Dec. 27, 1979, to assist Babrak Karmal, who had become president in a coup within the Afghan Communist leadership." -
Orphanage
Baba opens up an orphanage, we later find our is an act of atonement. Baba took Amir to a lake that day and Amir thought "I wanted Baba all to myself". (p. 13) Amir loves his dad and is glad he s opening and orphanage. When Baba asks Amir to invite Hassan, he makes and excuse for him so they could go together. This shows he wants some time alone with his father because it is important to him that he and his father have time together -
Amir Overhears That He Is A Coward
All Amir could ever want is Baba's approval. When he hears his father say "there is something missing in that boy" (p. 19), Amir feels really hurt. This made Amir feel horrible because he wants Baba to like him -
Amir Does Not Consider Hassan As A Friend
Amir wants to feel superior to Hassan because he is a bit jealous that Hassan gets alot of attention from Baba. Amir exclaims "the curious thing was, I never thought of Hassan and me as Friends either" (p. 22). Amir thought this because he is jealous of Hassan. Deep down inside he feels bad about thinking this. -
Hassan gets violated
Amir approaches the alley and sees Assef with Hassan. He "turned away from the alley, I could here Assef's quick rhythmic grunts" (p. 77) Hassan got raped by Assef. Amir did not help because he was afraid what more he could do to Hassan and to himself. -
Amirs Birthday
Baba threw a huge party for Amir's birthday. Shockingly Amir saw "Hassan serving drinks to Assef and Wali from a silver platter" (p. 100). This is unbelievable considering what he went through. It shows strength and loyalty. -
They WIn Kite Tournament
Amir and Hassan, after a few hours they win thw kite tournament. Amir yells "We won! We won!" (p. 66). Amir was really excited when he won. What was most significant to him was that Baba was proud of him because in his community, the winners of the tournament were looked up upon. -
Hassan Misses A Prayer
After the kite race Hassan missed one of the daily prayers which he would never miss. Amir thought, "Hassan never missed any of the five daily prayers. Even when we were playing, he'd excuse himself" (p. 69). This is a bad sign because Hassan would never miss a prayer. The only reason he would was if something was wrong, and their was. -
Hassan And Ali Leave Baba's Home
Ali decides to leave due to recent events in the story. This comes as a shock to Baba, but not Amir. Baba begs them to stay but Ali replies, "Life here is impossible for us now, Agha sahib. We're leaving. (p. 106). Ali and Hassan are leaving because theyu can't live in a situation that was caused by Amir. So they moved out immediatly. -
Amir Sets Up Hassan
Amir feels really guilty because he say Hassan get raped. He frames Hassan by putting a " new watch and a handful of Afghani bills under his mattress" (p. 105). Amir does this because he and Hassan can't communicate anymore because he feels really guilty. So he frames Hassan and gets him kicked out of the house. -
Nine years of conflict
The Soviet troops stayed inAfghanistan for about 9 years. Nine years of fighting caused "[a] conflict that cost them roughly 15,000 lives and undisclosed billions of rubles, while undermining the cherished image of an invincible Soviet Army." -
Baba And Amir Move To America
Baba and Amir move to Fremont California to leave all the issues of Aghanistan. Its was a good idea beacuse "Baba loved the idea of america" (p. 125) and wanted to escape the Taliban. This was a whole new life for Baba and Amir. It was hard on Baba at first to adjust. -
Baba Gets Into A Fight At The Store
Baba arrived at the market to buy some oranges and had no money so her wrote the cashier a check. They asked for his I.D. and Baba told Amir "Almost two years we've bought his damn fruits and put money in his pocket and the son of a dog wants to see my license!" (p. 127). Baba is still not used to the American society. When they ask for his I.D. he freaks out and they threaten to cal the cops. -
Soviet leaves Afghanistan
The Soviet Union, United Nations, and Afghanistan discussed peace talks. After the peace talks, "[the] last Soviet troops left Afghanistan in February 1989, in what was in effect a unilateral withdrawal." -
Devastation/Al Qaeda Formation
The country of Afghanistan was left devastated after all the troops left. Soon Afghanistan was being controlled by extremists, including "Osama bin Laden and the group he helped found, Al Qaeda." -
Amir Gets Married
Amir marries an afghan woman named Soraya. The general tells Amir "We are honored to welcome the son of a man such as yourself into our family" (p. 168). This means alot to Amir and his father. Especially since Baba was able to attend the wedding. -
Baba Dies
From when Amir hears about Baba's cancer, he takes extra care of him. But when he dies he says "What about me, Baba? What am I suppose to do? (p. 137). Amir is frustrated because he loves Baba and doesn't want him to die. He does not know what he is going to do withoug him. -
Amir goes to Afghanistan to save Sohrab
Amir flies to Afghanistan because he hears Rahim Khan is ill. Rahim says "There is a way to be good again" (p. 198). When Amir heres this he really thinks about it and realizes this is his chance to do good. He then goes into Kabul to look for Sohrab because he wants to atone for his sins -
Afghanistan becomes vicious
Once the Soviets were gone, the Afghans becan to focus on military and war. When the summer of 1994 came along, "[power was anarchically divided among competing warlords and indevidual fierdoms." -
The Taliban Takeover
The Taliban began to take over Afghanistan and controlled the people and its military. They gained thousands of followers because of Mullah Omars promise and "With his promise of restoring the centrality of Islam to daily life, he created a genuinely popular movement in a country weary of corruption and brutality." -
Pakistan Aid
Pakistan begins to help aid Afghanistan in their quest. Without the the aid of the Pakistan, the "Taliban might have withered". In the year 1994 "Pakistani intelligence officers began funneling arms, money and supplies to Millah Omar's men, as well as military advisers to help guide them in battle -
Taliban Controls All Of Afghanistan
SInce the Pakistani aided Aghanistan, they were able to survive as long as they did, but now the people begin to be treated unfairly. By the year 1996, "The Taliban had taken control of Afghanistan, imposing strick enforcement of fundamentalist Islanmic law, banning movies and music and forcing women out of schools and into all-enveloping bunqa clothing." -
911
On September 11, 2001, the Taliban attacked the World Trade center in New York. President Bush demanded that they "hand over Mr. bin Ladan". When they refused, this led to the air strike against Aghanistan. -
Obama's Plans
When Obama became president, one of his main goals was to end the war in Aghanistan. In a speech which took place at West Point, Obama "announced his plan to deploy 30,000 additional troops" to Afghanistan.This was a major action by Obama in his quest to end the war